


21:21

by B00_SUPERSCARY



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Paranormal, SKAM Season 3, Short
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:53:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26633170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B00_SUPERSCARY/pseuds/B00_SUPERSCARY
Summary: There were never any constants in Isak's peculiar life. Everyday changes and everyday he'd wake up somewhere different. He always felt out of place no matter where he was, it was lonely. And Isak's grown far too familiar with that feeling.It's a cynical routine. Constantly moving and never actually finding a place that felt like home. Until one day he finally does.
Relationships: Even Bech Næsheim/Isak Valtersen
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	21:21

**Author's Note:**

> Soo this is my first time writing on here and I'm on mobile so sorry if things are a little weird:/ the plot's a little vague but I promise it'll make some sense in the end. This fic is inspired by a short film called One Day by Gobelins l'ecole de l'image.

The alarm on his bedside table wakes Isak up at exactly 6:00. 

He groggily turns it off, his fingers lingering against it for a while as he huffs out a deep sigh. He pulls himself out of bed with determination as he battles with the need to slide back into his bed and sleep for another hour or so. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and feels small knots building in his chest as he squints at the filtered light pouring into his room. He hesitantly lifts the curtains bit by bit to reveal a quiet suburban neighbourhood. Relief rushes back to him. Atleast he wasn't stuck in a mountain like last time. 

You see, Isak has a problem. 

For as long as he can remember he's been waking up in the same bedroom, which is natural of course, but the difference is that the room never fails to shift places every night. There was never a pattern as to where the room moved, it would just kind of pick and drop at random destinations and it drove Isak crazy. Whenever he wakes up, his room would always end up as an extension in random homes in random places. The exterior would always look consistent to the rest of the house but the interior would often clash. His room usually standing out against the look and feel of the rest of the house, like it doesn't belong there. Isak never really bothers to explore the houses he ends up in, choosing to explore the environment outside instead. 

Isak makes his way to his closet where he grabs and tosses on a random shirt and some pants. He passes by the many clocks hanging on his walls, all different colors and sizes with timezones of different cities and regions. Multiple maps lazily pasted and drawn over accompanied the clocks. His crude handwriting littering each and every map with small post-it notes here and there. And if you look close enough into the mishmash of clocks and maps and post-its with coordinates, you can find the occasional souvenir card from places like Osaka or Texas. 

Isak's been obsessed with trying to find a solution to all of this. Seeking for answers or an explanation. But so far he's found _none_. For a while he thought that the locations _meant_ something like a clue or a sign. He thought that maybe he can predict where he'd land up in next if he searches for some sort of hint. So he started exploring each and every place he winds up in, eagerly searching.

He gave up on that big meaning idea shortly after a month into this whole ordeal when he woke up in an island in the middle of the ocean with little to no food and water. _'Is starving me really some kind of divine sign?'_ He thought. But he still tries his best to explore and get to know each place he encounters.

Through testing multiple theories and thorough observation, he's found out that the room always and consistently shifts at exactly 21:21 no matter what timezone he's in. The room syncs up exactly with the time on his watch, not on the location he's in. Whether it looks like it's the middle of the day or well into the night, If his watch rings then Isak needs to head back.

Isak's tried to crack this mystery of a number combination so many times to the point where he's grown sick of seeing it. 

The fear of not knowing what'll happen if he stays past 21:21 haunts him almost every night because to him, the room is all that he knows. He can't remember anything from before he got involved in this mess. He knows he had a normal life before though. He still vaguely remembers the faces of what he assumes to be his parents and friends. 

He'd like to think that maybe if he just stayed behind then the curse would end but it's never that simple is it? And it's not a risk he's willing to take. He'd often have nightmares about not making it in time. The room would depart and the ground below him would crumble and break beneath his feet, the sky would flicker like a dying flashlight before the darkness consumed him.

Then he'd wake up.

It was always the same reoccurring nightmare but it terrified him everytime. It leaves him sleep deprived and irritated. On top of the terrible _terrible_ jet lag, he has to deal with night terrors too. Fantastic. 

The fear makes him count. He counts everyday, every hour, every minute and writes about each day. Trying to find a difference. _'_ _What if the room moves at 21:30 tomorrow instead of 21:21?'_ He thinks. But it _never_ does. It's been about a year and a half now and Isak's grown numb to the routine.

So, as usual, after tossing on some pants and a shirt, he hesitantly opens the bedroom door. 

He steps out into a lovely suburban home, very American in style. He glances at his room and notes the stark contrast between the cleanliness of the largehouse and the piles of garbage in his floors and walls. He shrugs at this, saying. ' _I_ _'l_ _l fix it later'_ To himself. He navigates through, finding a clock on one of the walls in the living room. He notices that he's probably in some random American state. He glances down to find a small tv, tempting him to turn it on. After 30 minutes of looking for the remote and trying to figure out how to turn it on, he finally does. 

_"This just in-"_

A lady's accent fills the hollow room. _'So it is American'_ He sighs. His English was limited but he knew enough to understand the news. He occasionally mocks their accents as a way to humor himself. _"Reports of a potential meteor shower tomorrow at around 21:00 to_ _2:00"_ he mimics crudely. 

He ends up just watching tv for hours. He doesn't notice this until his stomach starts to grumble, aching for food. He quickly runs back into his room to grab a random food bar from his emergency stash of food and water. He's too tired to explore today, another sleepless night rendering him useless. 

He comes back to watch the tv for what felt like 15 minutes. It wasn't until his watch's alarm started to ring 20:00 when he realized that he spent the whole day just watching. He shuts it off and sighs, he has an hour left. He feels somewhat disappointed that he didn't get out at all today but it's too late to start. 

His attention diverts from the tv. What was once entertainment slowly dissolved into background noise as he spaces out. It's suddenly so cold. Terribly cold. He grabs a throw pillow beside him and holds it close for comfort.

Isak's used to the strange monotony, to the strange routine, to the loneliness that seeps through every now and then. He used to talk to people about his adventures (leaving out the whole "my room teleports from place to place every night" aspect) but never develop any sort of long lasting relationship or friendship. It's always been fleeting, nothing to hold on to.

Maybe that's for the best as Isak literally never stays. So he convinces himself that he's better off alone. But he doesn't know for just how long he has to keep up with his shifting room, he doesn't know how long he can keep seeking for answers, or how long he has to cope with the out of place feeling he gets every time he steps out into the world.

His bedroom's both a shelter and a curse

His watch rings again. 21:00.

He slowly gets up and neatly places the pillow back in its place. He turns off the tv and bids the news reporters farewell as he marches back towards his bedroom. He closes the door and locks it. 

He slides into his desk to write about his day.

_Today was American._

He scratches that out.

_Today was ~~American.~~ nothing special. It's America again, I woke up in a family type home and watched tv. It was kinda lonely._

He scratches the last part out.

He drops the pen. He would usually write more than this but his brain felt like mush. He stares blankly at the page for a while until his watch rings one last time for the day. 

21:21 

He closes his eyes as if he's bracing himself for impact. 

A familiar loud crash rings out. The room began to shiver and quake. The ticks of the clocks grew faster and faster, disjointed and chaotic. Bright light gradually started to glow from outside before it's gone in an instant and then back again suddenly. The light continued to flash through the window, growing more rapid with each passing second. Different objects in his room started to loudly click and clack together and the room spins and spins and spins. The loud crash grew into a series of strung together noises and it's almost overwhelming to Isak. But it's nothing new.

He hastily makes his way to bed with his eyes shut close, navigating with ease. 

He shoves a pillow against his face to drown out the noise to the best of his ability and soon enough the loud clutters fade into the background.

______________

The next morning, Isak wakes up at exactly 6:00. 

Again, he hesitates to open the windows but it opens to a rainy day.

And he starts over again. 

**Author's Note:**

> This kinda sucked ngl. I'm on a hiatus rn and idk when I'll be able to update this quick thing so please be patient istg there's more to the story I just need some time to be more inspired:)


End file.
